Team Tobatí

Profile

Mission: The mission of Team Tobati is to increase the opportunities offered to poor youth of Tobati, Paraguay.

Description: Team Tobatí is a 501-c3 non-profit organization made up of educators and students dedicated to raising Tobati's standard of living by improving education and healthcare infrastructures. With the active support of Tobati community leaders and organizations, the Team actively supports the physical improvement of schools, funds important programs, and supports medical services and initiatives.

About Tobatí:Tobatí is both a town and a provincial district within the department (state) of Cordillera, Paraguay. The population of the district of Tobatí is 21,315 of which 16,538 (75.5%) are under the age of 19. Over 33% of this population lives beneath the international poverty line while as high as 70% live in relative poverty. A large percentage of the houses in the region lack running water and electricity.

This poverty is especially prevalent in the region's rural villages, known as compañías. Most men and boys in the region work in small brick or tile factories that pay at most one or two dollars a day. A large number of girls work as domestic servants. Schools run in three or four hour shifts in order to allow for children to work and also due to overpopulation and a lack of resources in the local schools. Many children in Tobatí are employed.